Material Handling

             

Material handling

- The materials handling is the movement of materials the movement of materials from one place to another is found within every organization and its study in materials handling is sometimes considered to be a separate discipline.

- It is in fact one aspect of work study and any materials handling problem must be solved by normal work study techniques. The purpose of the topic is to introduce some of the specialist equipment available for materials handling.

- The industries supermarkets offices construction project and the banks all are engaged in moving things/ materials. Materials handling generally costs between 20-30% of the cost of the product not only costs majority of production time is also consumed in handling the materials before during and after the manufacture.

- The materials handling time and cost can be reduced by proper selection operation maintenance and layout of these handling devices. In view of the fact it is the suggested that every manager should cause an investigation to be carried out on the materials handling costs within organize.

- Ignorance of the impact of the costs of the materials handling is required to pay full attention on this every important matter associated with the final cost of the product. It is frequently found that improvements in material handling provide the quickest and cheapest ways of improving profitability of the organization.Objective of materials handling

- Material handling is an art and science involving of the movement packaging and storing of products in any shape and from. Material handling is concerned with the following.

    

1. Movement

Materials handling involves movement of materials mechanically/manually in batches or one by one within the plant. It may be horizontal vertical or combination of two. It is concerned with movement of parts material and finished products from location to location.

2. Time

 Materials must arrive at its place at right time. It is to be ensured that no production process is distributed due to late arrival of materials.

3. Quantity

Material handling must ensure that each location continually receives the right quantity of materials ( parts raw materials semi- finished/ process items).

4. Space 

Space requirement are influenced by the materials handling flow pattern proper space is required for storage of raw materials, parts, semi- finished/ finished parts. 

5. Quality 

Quality  material be arrived at  right location. 

Material  handling  cost 

Material  handling  cost is  concerned of 

i. Cost of  handling. 

ii. Cost of transportation. 

iii. Cost of packaging. 

iv. Cost of space. 

v. Cost of  handling equipment ( including operation maintenance &depreciation etc) 

 In any  industry  materials  handling is of  three types 

a. Handling of  individual  part or unit. 

b. Handling in room  department or plant. 

c. Handling of  materials  during the  entire  process of  production and distribution  starting from  raw  material  source to disposal. 

This  can be  shown as below:- 

Raw  material → supplier → transportation → receiving → inspection → storing → issuance 

→ manufacturing/fabrication → packaging →shipping → dealer/distributor → retailers →

customer → disposal → re-cycling. 

Sine  materials  handling is  concerned with the  movement of the  materials  every  moment has. 

i. Picking up  the load. 

ii. Transporting  the load. 

iii. Setting  the load down. 

Causes of  high  material  handling costs.

 There are  some  cause of  high  materials  handling costs:- 

1. Ignorance of costs. 

2. Poor plant  layout. 

3. Poor  store  layout. 

4. Excessive  manual efforts. 

5. In-adequate/in- appropriate equipment. 

- It is to be  noted that  movement of  material  adds to the  cost of the product. 

- It is  therefore  important first to  reduce the  need for the  handling of  materials and  second to  reduce the  cost for that  handling  which is inevitable. 

- Any  material  handling  problem  must  start with the  layout of the  factory or  department  minimum distance i.e. all  movements be  both  (necessary and direct). 

-The second is concerned with the design of product which should be such during the various stages of manufacture, no un- necessary that the most economical design is that which requires least material to be removed.

It is after said that:-

The best material handling is no material handling

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Aids to good materials handling

There is much attention required to arrive at good material handling.

1. Correct identification of material

The identification of material handling should be correct as the cost and frustration of trying to identify anomy means material becomes very high.

2. Correct packaging of material

The packing/packaging of material should be correct and appropriate to ensure that safety of material. Easily damaged material requires careful handling and costly.

3. Capacity of equipment

The capacity of equipment should be over and above the handling of materials to make economical for heavy single loads and other multiple loads.

4. Size of load

At ways move the largest possible again to avoid multiple handling

5. Weight of container

It is more cut to heavier loads it should be container the load to use lightest the setting ensured of material handling. The MIS should conform to the organizational structure other system and delegation of authority within the company.

The system may work optimum level when timely and relevant are received as taken and

 implemented feedback is necessary for further corrective action.

Effective management system

Now a day’s decision making with

programed MIS/ communication is

 considered to be more effective

 management of system in which

 feedback plays a vital role in achieving

the designed objective/largest. 

System 

- A  system  may be  defined as  a group of inter- related  parts or  elements designed to  achieve  a particular objective.

 - A  system  always exists  within an  environment which  provides  resources as  input into the  system and that accepts outputs of the  system which doing the  process of control. 

- A simplified  system is drawn as. 

System designed 

- The engineering  design  means an  activity of which the  purpose is to fulfil human  related to the entirely technological facture of the outline. 

- This designed  process is an  activity to convert the  resources into system economically  to meet the human  needs. 

- Therefore  system  design  means  utilizing the human efforts  materials machines and finance 

to fulfil the human  needs or wants. 

Needs specifications

When the  needs are a  system  is required to be designed  need  gets the  shape of  system in the 

following shapes. 

1. Need  analysis to  explore  potential  needs Market  research is  conducted for making  needs  analysis for which habits &  behavior of the  people in social  economic  system is  kept in  mind  by  way of systematic  approach  experience and set of techniques.

2. Development of  possible  system 

In order to  develop  a possible  system  various  alternatives  may  involve  different costs & probabilities of  success out  of their  best  possible  system  is selected to  achieve the objectives. 

3. Comparison of  system  needs and proposed  system

When the  fully  developed  system  is selected and  it is  compared with that of  basic  needs or requirements. In case of any  point  noted for correction  it is  further considered. 

4. Review and  modification of  possible  system 

There is  always room for  improvement which  may be made  in order to make the  system simple and streamlined. 

5. Re-valuation and decision 

The modified system is once again revalued it aims to find whether the system is beneficial fulfils all needs and there is no technical social economical and legal problem.

 Salient features of a system

1. It refers what and how things are done.

2. It emphasizes communication structure.

3. It stresses channel 

Systems design for best material handling

 In order to design best system for materials handling some of the important requirement to be considered are as under:-

1. It reduces the handling( i.e. less labor less equipment requirements & less time required for production)

2. It provides continuous flow of materials.

3. It requires less supervision.

4. It requires less space.

5. It reduces delay between were stations.

6. It reduces damages in handling.

7. It reduces labor costs.

8. It reduces in process storage and there by reduces inventories.

9. It provides better production control.

10. It provides better coordination between different departments.

Feasibility

- For set up of a feasible/ viable manufacturing plant location of a plant industry is an

 important arrangement decision which is a two-step decision:-

i. Choice of general area or region.

ii. Choice of site within the area selected.

- Location decision is based on the organization long term strategies such as technological

 marketing resource availability and financial strategies.

- The objective of plant location decision making is to minimize the sum of all costs affected by location.

- Plant location is important because of the following.

i. Location influences plant facilities needed.

ii. Location influences capital investment and operating costs.

- A firm would like to locate the factory in a place where the availability of inputs may be land labor raw material energy transportation and water supply etc. 

After setting up of an industry the total cost of a product manufactured can be calculated as under:

Material handling costs

There are only major functions performed in

 production of a product/item.

i. Processing

The materials under consideration are changed in physical form.

ii. Material handling

Material are brought to move through or removed from the processing activity. The material handling of the portion of the total production cost is substantial and varies from 10-30% depending on the manufacturing items and process if manufacture. Therefore being the major portion of production cost there is a need for calculating material handling cost correct determination of material handling cost is necessary because of the following.

- To help in determining accurate production cost.

- To identify all the material handling cost to exercise effective control so as to minimize the

 handling costs.

- To help in improving methods.

- To help in comparing cost the improved methods are suggested.

- To justify large movements on automation.

- To help in budgeting.

- To provides on basis for comparing handling efficiencies.

Feasibility study for analyzing material handling problems

Following factors should be studied to analysis the material handling problems.

1. Establish the scope of the study.

2. Pin point the areas of plant layout to be covered by the study.

3. Determine volume expected to be handled per unit time by the new system.

4. Nature and type of the materials to be handled.

5. Determine the handling cost of the items being handled by the present system.

6. Determine details of distance to be moved with details of curves slopes etc. 

7. Determine how to move the material in tray bundles pallets etc.

8. Determine the details of the equipment used capacity speed flexibility etc.

9. Determine the time taken for the movement.

10. A thorough survey should then be made considering the systems approach.

11. Alternative system should be evaluated from all angles including financial physical safety acceptance by the management and operators and its effects on working safety and overall environment. 

Coordination of Equipment’s and vendors

- In the past material handling was neglected and due importance was not given to this

 function in the industries. This was simply due to lack of awareness or the part of management.

- But now a days this aspect of material handling is being given its due importance and

 consideration and materials handling engineer’s person play a vital role in the industries.

- In order to carry out the function of coordination of equipment and vendors regarding materials handling the personal of material handling department work in close

coordination/ association with other departments of the industry such as work the following.

1. Purchasing department

To facilitate in deciding the size of order packaging packing and transportation systems from vendor supplier place to the industry.

2. Quality control people

Quality control people check the specified quality of the materials.

3. Store department

Handling and storage of material and supplies is determined by the characteristics of the items and the nature of storage methods.

4. Production control department

Material handling department must cooperate and coordinate with production control depth in following areas:-

i. Directing path of the material movement.

ii. Moving material in lots or containers of pre- determined sizes.

iii. Making optimum use of mechanical handling in picking accumulation and loading.

iv. Meeting production requirement with the handling equipment.

v. Material handling system itself must incorporate features of production control inventory control and accounting.

vi. Moving material as per schedule and to avoid rush deliveries partial load or duplicate moves. 

5. Industrial engineering department

Since material handling function is a division of the broad field of industrial engineering materials handling engineers dealing different function e g.

i. With the process engineering in designing the manufacturing process to establish line balancing in process handling and storage operation.

ii. With the methods engineering in designing the individual work places the method used in performing the operation.

iii. With the work standard personal in establishing work standards for materials handling operations for using as the basis of incentive schemes for material handlers.

iv. With plant layout personal in developing the overall often pattern and the arrangement of the facilities in the plant. 

Introduction to bulk material handling equipment.

- It is the present day need for the equipment’s to handle heavy loads with fast speed reliability safety economy.

- In order to meet the variety of requirements equipment of differents types and size have been develop and are being manufactured.

- Application of material handling devices is a prime consideration in designing new plant and for modifying existing plants.

- These device increase output improve quality speed up the deliveries and therefore decrease the cost of production.

- Material handling are the equipment’s are mechanically, electrically, hydraulically or pneumatically operated or use there combination.

- Material handling equipment’s are not production mechanism.

- There are auxiliary equipment’s which improves the flow of materials which in turn reduce stoppages in production machines and thus increases their production.

- Material handling equipment’s should be able to give maximum efficiency, economy, life and reliability of service under- utilization and faulty selection of the material handling equipment is a expensive which give rise to increase in operating costs.

- The equipment selected should be according to the requirement of the job in respect to size, shape, weight, and material to be handled etc.

- According to George Hageman the important engineering and economic handling installation can be classified as:-

• Factory relating to the plant and operating methods.

• Factory depending on materials or parts handled.

• Factory relating to the handling equipment.

• Financial factors. 

Characteristics of a good material handling equipment’s

A good material handling equipment should have following characteristics:-

1. Material should not be designed in handling.

2. Capable to handle materials in required quantity.

3. Capable of delivery material at desired time.

4. Should be able to deliver goods at right time.

5. Should be safe in operation.

6. Should be economical both for capitals operational costs.